AN: I'm SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG!! Please don't take it out by not reviewing. I'd much rather have you rant and rave about how long it took me, believe me, if your persuasive enough, or mad enough, it will get my butt in gear better.

Hey, I wanted to let you know that the name of the chapter is purely my imagination having probs. What I meant it to mean is like, well, losing your mind. Get it?

Chapter 7: Losing It

Inuyasha hurried into the race-grounds, dwelling on the woman he had left to shower and meet him there later. He sighed and continued on his way down the aisle, coming to his own section where he had seven horses stabled. Besides Keno, Niathra, and Deca, he also had his own horse, Katou, plus a veteran horse that would be racing in the other division today. He did not have the steam he once had had, but He was still a good horse, a strong and steady racer, always winning him a small purse. There were also two colts that were learning to stretch their legs. Niathra had another race this morning, and so did the two colts. Katou raced in the third one, but that was a while from now. There were no races planned for the afternoon, and they would probably start to pack up in preparation for leaving on Monday morning.

He entered the tack-room and saw that his not-so-lazy-and-forgetful employees were all doing what they were supposed to. Everything was all set to go and he breathed easier, finally letting his worry lessen. He spotted Monty and grinned, walking over to the large man who was grooming one of the colts that would be racing in the second race.

"Hey Monty, I think you deserve a raise." He announced to his trainer. Monty stood straight up and turned around, quickly returning his grin. He had dirt trails from the work and dust.

"Yeah, so where were you, boss? It ain't like you to be late." His eyebrows rose and he winked in a conspiratorial fashion. "Shouldn't you be thinking that stuff over before just jumping into it?" He said. Inuyasha chose to pretend he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Your right, jumping right up to giving out raises is a bit much. How about a nice letter of recommendation?" He said seriously. Monty gave him an exasperated look and blew out a breath.

"That wasn't what I was talking about and you know it." The trainer said, frustrated. "I meant the girl, and you know it." Inuyasha's expression didn't waver much, but his eyes dropped a little.

"Than I guess my meddling trainers need to keep their shitty noses to themselves." He said quietly, slightly angered. Monty's eyebrows shot up and he shook his head.

"Fine, but don't ask me for any advise later on when you need it." He turned back to grooming the colt and barked out orders to a kid who had fallen in love with the colt.

"Shippou, go and get Rika's tack." The kid scampered off to do just that and Inuyasha stood lost in thought until someone, annoyed by his obstruction of the aisle, asked him rather rudely to move. He moved back out of the way and noticed it was the rider who rode seventh in yesterday's maiden race, the guy who had tried to sabotage Rin and Keno. He looked around and noticed everything seemed to be under control here, his two colts were all set for the second race, and they were already starting preparations on Katou for his race, the third one. He had at least a half an hour before he would need to be here again.

Inuyasha followed the rude and dirty rider as he headed out back of the barns for a cigarette, glad to have caught him at this time. He smiled softly at his luck and crept stealthily closer, jumping at the thin man suddenly and putting his hand over the scared fighting man's mouth to cut off the cry of surprise.

Rin stretched and got up off the bed, rising slowly as her muscles pulled and complained. Well, her late night activity was something her muscles were not used to. She stretched up as tall as she could before coming down and touching her toes, ignoring her protesting muscles. She sleepily looked around the messy room and started to pick it up, piling up all of her dirty clothes into one pile and then putting the clean ones back into her duffle bag. She grabbed a plastic bag out of her duffle and put all the dirty ones in there. After poring through her bag, she found a clean pair of jeans and a tank top that had a V-neck that did not go too low. She grabbed a large sweatshirt in case it was still cool out and then slapped her forehead, remembering that she needed a shower, especially after last night.

Rin groaned in annoyance and grabbed a towel off the dresser the hotel provided before going into the bathroom and throwing her clothes off and jumping into the shower. She turned the water on pretty hot and washed her body vigorously, then her hair and then put some conditioner in it. She pulled her hair over her shoulder to keep it from getting rinsed out and turned the water down until it was cool. She waited a moment more to let the conditioner set before slipping under the colder water and rinsing it out. By the time she turned the water off she was shivering and the humid air of the small bathroom felt pretty good.

She looked at her watch sitting on the sink and swore when she saw that it was almost time for the first race to start. She decided to hell with shaving her legs today and just did her armpits, hating the prickly feeling of hair under her arms. She hurriedly brushed her teeth and put some deodorant on before throwing her clothes back on. She rubbed some lotion on her hands and put her ring on her pointer finger of her right hand and then her thin silver watch on her left wrist. It had been a present from her mother a few months before she had died. Rin stared at it for many moments, lovingly running her fingers over the engraved horses on it before yanking herself back to reality and seeing the time. It was already 9 and she had probably would miss the first race and would get there just as the first one ended if she left now.

The bag of dirty laundry leered at her from across the room as she left the bathroom and she sighed, grabbing it and deciding Inuyasha could tell her all about it. If she hurried, she would make the third race. She slung the bag over her shoulder and grabbed her purse, remembering that the key to the room was still in there. She locked the door and shut it behind her, hoisting the bag so it didn't fall off her shoulder. The halls were empty and so was the elevator as she climbed in and pushed the bottom floor button. The doors shut and she felt the familiar swoop in her stomach as it went down. The doors dinged and they opened and she walked out and to the receptionist's desk, thankful there at least was someone there.

"Hello, could I find out where the nearest Laundromat is?" She asked politely. The woman behind the desk looked up from her magazine, thankfully not pornography, and raised her eyebrows. Rin bit her lip at the woman's obvious annoyance at being interrupted and tried not to roll her eyes.

"Just down the street on the right." Was all she got before the woman went back to her magazine. Rin sighed in frustration and decided to ask anyone she saw for better directions. She turned and went out the door before she did something drastic. She turned right and went down the sidewalk, stopping at a promising looking antique shop. She went in and to the register. The guy behind it smiled at and she smiled back thankfully. Thank god it wasn't another one of those people like the receptionist at the hotel.

"Hello, can I help you?" The guy asked. He looked about 18, perhaps 6 feet tall. He had black hair and brown eyes and almost familiar features… she'd seen him somewhere.

"Yes, can you please tell me where I can find a Laundromat?" She asked, gesturing to the bag of clothes on the floor. He glanced at it and grinned before answering.

"Yeah, right down the road here, about three buildings down on the right. It's called Koharu's. Can't miss it." He said amiably. She thanked him and picked up her bag, feeling eyes follow her all the way out the door. Sure enough, when she looked into the shop, he was staring at her retreating back. But instead of looking away guiltily like most guys did when she caught them watching her, he smiled softly, giving her an eerie feeling. She shook it off and forced herself not to look back at him as she headed down the street.

She walked down the street quickly, passing the three buildings and immediately coming onto a quaint little place. She thanked the guy mentally for sending her somewhere small and not a huge place that would be busy as all hell on a Sunday. She walked in and saw the washers on the left, dryers on right. She went to the left side of the little place and opened to lid to see clean, if older washers, the one she opened being the same inside as out. She turned on the water and put the detergent in, then her clothes. There wasn't much, just some underwear, and two pair of jeans and t-shirts and a pair of old ratty breeches. Oh and the sweatshirt she had been wearing at the barn for the last two days. She shut the washer and tried to figure out something to do for the next ten or fifteen minutes. The cute black haired guy that ran the register in the antique shop jumped into mind and she decided to go and thank him and then maybe stay there to window shop while her clothes dried.

Rin decided to go and do just that and walked out of the Laundromat to go the short distance to the store she had passed. The third building between she squinted her eyes and frowned, thinking maybe she had just not seen it. She passed the third building and stood in front of where the shop should have been, her hands on her hips and her face drawn into a perplexed frown. Okay, either she was really messed up or… she was losing it. There was no other explanation. Buildings did not simply get up and move away. She blew out a breath and turned around and saw the same cheap motel opposite just like on the way here. Damn. The antique shop had just up and disappeared.

She ran her fingers nervously through her hair and wished it were there, prayed when she turned around it would be there again she had just been losing it for a moment. That would be acceptable, but to have it disappear totally…

She turned around and sure enough, there was the building, sitting there just like the first time she had seen it. Shivers went down her back and she bit her lip, heading nervously for it, almost afraid that at any second it would disappear. She opened the door slowly and looked to see the same guy at the register, smiling at her.

"Hello Can I help you?" Asked the black-haired man. She smiled and shook her head. The register looked the same, all of the antiques she had seen before were in the same places, and everything was the same as before. This reassured her slightly, but the way the cashier had addressed her bothered her, like he hadn't seen her before. She swallowed and decided it too was apart of her over-active imagination.

"Hi, I just wanted to thank you for the directions and browse the shop a little while my clothes were going." She offered, he frowned when she finished.

"What?" he asked, looking slightly confused.

"I said that I came a minute ago, and asked directions, ya know? I was just thanking you." She was getting annoyed quickly. Was the guy retarded?

"You were just in here a few minutes ago, weren't you?" His chocolate eyes looked worried and she cocked her head sideways.

"I, yeah, I was. What is going on here?" She took another step toward him and he pursed his lips.

"Ah, shit. Come over here." He slid out from behind the counter and motioned for her to follow him out behind a curtain. She took a few hesitant steps in that direction, curious as to what was going on. With the previous weirdness she had just witnesses she thought she was ready for anything. But she was to be wrong.

"Come back here, I need you to hurry and trust me, please. Things could go way out of wack if we don't get you out of sight." There was nothing behind the curtain, which reached the floor, and nothing for him to use against her. So she cautiously stepped behind it and he stepped out, adjusting it so she was not visible.

"Listen, stay here, and don't move. And whatever you do, don't look until I tell you to. I know you don't understand, but this is important." She could feel the seriousness in his words and the underlying urgency. She nodded, confused, but stayed behind the curtain as he headed back to the register.

Rin stayed very still for a few moments, curiosity and edginess playing at her brain, making her finicky. Finally she decided that whatever the guy said was so important wouldn't really hurt if she took a quick peek. Just as she was about to peek from behind the curtain she heard the door to the shop open and something being set on the floor.

"Hello, can I help you?" She heard him ask from behind the register. A short silence greeted her ears before she heard a very familiar voice.

"Yes, can you please tell me where I can find a Laundromat?" The female's voice asked sweetly. Rin's jaw fell open and she could not stop herself from peeking from behind the curtain. She was so stunned at what she saw that she nearly collapsed.

Another one of herself, another Rin stood there, the same black tank top, the same blue LEI jeans, and the bag of dirty laundry on the floor. The Rin behind the curtain watched herself smile at the black-haired man and she wanted to scream, to jump out and yell, to do something. But she stood there and watched herself.

"Yeah, right down the road here, about three buildings down on the right. It's called Koharu's. Can't miss it." The guy smiled at her, the one by the register, and Rin watched as her other self thanked the guy and slung the bag over her shoulder and walk out of the shop. By that time she wasn't seeing it anymore though, her mind was reeling out of control. Her eyes were glazed over and she slowly slid down the wall behind her and let her knees flop sideways.

She had just watched herself do something she had done just a few minutes ago. Rin took several breaths, but she was still behind the curtain, sitting there confused as hell.

"Hey." The curtain swung back to a worried looking cashier. "I told you not to look, now listen. I know what you just saw was weird, but you're going to have to forget it and in about ten minutes you'll have to go back and check your laundry. It'll be like nothing ever happened." He held out his hand to her and helped her up, brushing her clothes off from where she had gotten dirt on them from the dusty wall. She stayed numb for a moment more before snapping out of it and turning on him suddenly, almost in hysterics.

"What the hell is going on here? I come in here and ask for directions, and then when I came back the shop wasn't there! All I did was wish I wasn't seeing things and going nuts, and poof! It appears out of nowhere! I come in, and you tell me to hide here and the best part of all comes next. I see myself getting directions that I just got not ten minutes ago! I'm just a tad confused here!!" She yelled at him. He cringed and frowned, staring into her eyes like he thought he would get the answers from deep within them.

"Well, I'm very sorry you had to witness that. You must be quite powerful to break down that barrier…" Her eyes widened and he slapped his own forehead. "Shit, that was not supposed to slip." She raised her eyebrows and he sighed.

"Hold up." He went into the back room and was gone for a few minutes and then returned to a fuming and annoyed Rin. She spun from where she had been pacing and he motioned for her to follow him again. This time when she followed, much more boldly than last time, they went through a doorway. A staircase was on the other side and she followed him up them and through another door. She entered a room that appeared to be someone's home, a TV and couch on the right side, two doors on the left, and a small kitchen straight ahead. He sat on the couch and motioned for her to do the same. She looked around a little more, noting its cleanliness, even though it wasn't neat. The couch looked worn but also clean. She sat down next to him gracefully, before turning to look at him square in the face with inquisitive, annoyed eyes. He smiled until the annoyance left her eyes and they softened.

"Alright, well, my name is Kohaku. This shop is for someone in need of help, it is supposed to disappear right after. I'm not sure about the technicalities of it, all I know is that there's an old Miko that works that part of it. The barrier was down for the moment because of how little people were using it. Usually we don't do directions and stuff like that, but I figured it would be okay because of how slowly today was going. Seems I made a little mistake." He laughed ruefully.

Rin thought she was starting to understand. She waited anxiously for the rest, wanting to know if her guesses were right.

"You walked in, got your directions, but something happened when you walked in. I really don't know what, but you seemed familiar almost." Rin interrupted him.

"Really? That was the same feeling I got. I think it was part of the reason I came back." She informed him. He looked slightly surprised but not very. Finally he continued.

"Yeah? Well, after you left the barrier went up and then I'm guessing to you it seemed like you came back here. But somehow, because you wished to see it again I'm guessing, it sent you back in time to just after Kaede took the barrier down five minutes before you came. That's the part I still don't understand." He said, shaking his head slowly. Rin sat very still, trying to understand. So her wish to not feel crazy had really just made things worse in the end. Damn her! If only she had just walked away from the shop and thought she had hallucinated it. That sure would be a hell of a lot easier! Damn!

"What I don't understand is why yea brought yonder girl up here and told her such things." An old, crackly but still rich voice scolded. Kohaku stood up and smiled an apology to the old and bent woman that stood in the doorway to the room. Rin looked doubtfully at the woman, not sure what to do. The woman helped her out with that.

"My name is Kaede. What be yours, dear child?" She said in her raspy voice. Rin stood up and took the outstretched hand in her own.

"My name is Rin." She answered, hating the way she had nothing to add to it. Her father had died while she was young, and her mother had just used her maiden name. Rin didn't really have a name, an identity. It had bothered her when she had first found out, and then her mother had died soon after. It had ceased to bother her finally, but she still felt stupid when people asked her what her full name was and she could not answer them.

"Well, Rin, it seems you have had a little adventure. Kohaku explained about the barrier, but I don't understand it completely either. A weird predicament, this is." Kaede sat down on the couch and Rin stood up abruptly.

"I really would love to stay and see what other weird things can happen, but I have to go back and finish my laundry so I can watch the rest of the race. I had an… interesting time talking to you, thank you and goodbye." She said in clipped, but polite tones. Kaede was smiling and Kohaku's smile was soft, almost sad. She really would like to meet him under better circumstances. Maybe she would someday. He could be a very nice friend. Rin stopped at the door and gave a final wave before heading down the stairs and out of the shop, glancing at it every once in a while. The third time she looked over her shoulder, the little shop was gone, like it had never been there.

"I told you my part of the bargain, now what's yours again?" Golden eyes flashed in a dominant stare as he glared at the man cowering at his feet. The very same guy who had tried to sabotage Rin's race.

"I will never jeopardize any riders from your stable ever again." The guy's voice trembled in fear. "I promise." He stuttered in his whining, pleading, grossly pitiful voice. The number seven rider flinched and shook harder as Inuyasha moved. His hands wound in the guys jacket front and he lifted the guy up and right off his feet so he was just above eye level with him. The guy struggled pointlessly against his hold, but ceased when Inuyasha spoke.

"You had better promise. You know what happens if I ever catch you doing that again." Inuyasha said in a low voice, making the guy let go of his hands and cover his nuts.

"Don't hurt me… I won't!" He pleaded desperately. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose in disgust and dropped him. The skinny rider struggled to his unsteady feet and ran, stumbling away from him, taking the back way to his stable's area on the Madenia grounds. Inuyasha had a sly grin on his face when he walked out from behind the barns and back to his area of the barn. They wouldn't have any more trouble with that guy, not after he'd threatened to cut the guy's nuts off and make him eat them. That idiot knew better than to touch Rin now, and if he hadn't learned his lesson, Inuyasha would be there.

He hated being around so many people. That was the worst part about horses, far too many people. Most of them stank, not seeming to know what hygiene was, or were just plain foolish. There were a few he could put up with, including Sango, she always smelled sweet and acted somewhat decently, and the girl who had won the maiden race yesterday, Rin. He liked the way she could handle horses, it was beautiful. Sango was dying to know more about it, and he was trying to do a much as he could, being subtle, to help her. For instance, it was not his normal custom to invite possible adversaries to his stable, or even the stable area. Rare indeed. Sango had known, he had seen it by happy she was when he mentioned it at dinner the other night. He hoped to have Sango draw her into his place, and work for him instead of his disgusting cousin. Her training ability was very good, and he wanted it. And Sango was unknowingly helping him out with his plan.

AN: Bye Bye Birdy, oh no, that's my mind! Lol!
I'm going abso-effing-lutely nuts here!
YAY for craziness!

Please review!!!

I don't much like this chapter either, but boo-hoo, hopefully someone will…

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